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D sATEs PA FFICE- CHARLES E. WALLER, OF ALLENTOWN, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO INDEPENDENT N DIN-FREEZING- POWDER COMPANY, OF NEWARK, NEW JERSEY, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

No Drawing.

To all whom it may concern: I

Be it known that I, CHARLES E. WALLER, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Allentown, Lehigh county, Pennsylvania, have invented certain Im rovements in Nitrostarch Explosives, of W ich the follow in is a specification.

y invention relates to blasting explosives, and more particularly to detonating explosives containing nitro-starch as the explosive base.

Heretofore nitro-starch detonating ex-' plosives have had the disadvantage of being too readily inflammable, and the object of my invention is to reduce this inflammability. This object I accomplish by adding to the explosive a suitable proportion of mononitronaphthalene C, H.,NO

Mononitrona htalene can be produced by treating napht alene with fifty percent.

nitric acid, and then freeing from acid bywashing. The product consists of what is known chemically as a-nitronaphthalene with traces of the -nitronaphthalene. It has a melting point of approximately 59- 60 C. It also can be obtained on themarket under the said name mononitronaphthalene.

As indicating to those skilled in the art the relative proportions of mononitronaphthalene and of other ingredients in nitrostarch explosives embodying my invention, I give the following formulae Roughly speaking, as will be seen from the formulae, a proportion of approximately 1 part by weight of mononitronaphthalene to 3 parts of nitro-starch will give satisfactory results. I do not, however, confine myself Specification of Letters Patent.

NITROSTARGH EXELOSIVE.

f Patented June 3, 1919.

Application filed December 30, 1915. Serial No. 69,447..

to any particular proportions, as these will vary somewhat with the different grades of powder, and with the particular character of work which the explosive is intended to accomplish. A much smaller proportion of mononitronaphthalene will accomplish .the desired result in some measure, and a larger proportion may alsobe used under some conditions. From 2 to 12% by weight of the entire explosive mixture can be employed with satisfactory results.

In producing a nitro-starch explosivecontaining mononitronaphthalene, I prefer to heat the nitronaphthalene in a steam pan until fused, then to stir in the required amount of oxidizing agents, such as nitrate of soda. When the mass has co0led,-the nitro-starch is added and incorporated, and thereafter a suitable oil or other binder added to secure plasticity. I do not, however, confine m self to any particular method of manu acture'.

I have found that mononitronaphthalene when employed as aforesaid in nitro-starch erties of the mixture,- and unlike other nitrohydrooarbons, it has no colloidal action upon nltrostarch under the conditions here present, there being no condition'of elevated temperature or pressure.

I claim:

1. A blasting explosive containing noncolloided nitro-starch, in admixture with monqnitronaphthalene, the mononitronaphthalene being resent to the exten of substantially one-t ird the amount by weight of the nitro-starch.

2. A blasting ex )losive containing in admixture nitro-starch and mononitronaphthalene, said nitro-starch being non-colloided, the total of the nitro-starch and mononitronaphthalene present not exceeding 40% of the whole explosive.

3. A blasting explosive containing noncolloided nitro-starch, in admixture with M n'lononitronaphthalcne and inorganic nitrates, the mononitrona hthalene being presant to the extent of su stantially one-third of the amount by weight of nitro-starch, said mononitronaphthalene constituting from two to twelve per cent. of the entire explosive mixture. 7

CHARLES E. WALLER. 

